Sporting events are a favorite pastime, and, as a consequence, various games inspired by sporting events have been considered. Once such game is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,530,316 to Hammons. The Hammons patent teaches a baseball card game which simulates an actual baseball game. The Hammons patent discloses a game which includes two groups of cards, namely, a scoring group and a defensive group, which are dealt indiscriminately to the players. The cards have designations of either defensive or offensive plays. Each player receives four cards. The players are divided into two teams: an at bat team, and a fielding team. Although both scoring and defensive cards are dealt to all players, the at bat team attempts to play scoring cards attempts to put men on base, and the fielding team attempts to play defensive cards to keep the at bat team""s men off base or to get them out.
While some Patents, such as the Hammons Patent, teach games which simulate actual sporting events, other Patents disclose games which are to be played while watching an actual sporting event. U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,443 to Allen discloses a non-electronic game in which the players throw down a flag when they believe that a penalty has occurred in the sporting event being watched. Players receive points for correctly predicting the penalty the game referee identifies. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,526 to Tovar et al. also discloses a game played while watching a sporting event. The patent to Tovar et al. discloses a game in which the players activate a signaling device when they believe that an infraction of the rules has occurred in the sporting event being watched. Players receive points if the infraction they state is the same infraction as is called by the officials refereeing the sporting event.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,429,877 and 4,540,174 to Coppock disclose a game wherein the player is randomly assigned or randomly selects game plays. When the plays are to be randomly selected by the player, the possible game plays are covered so that the player does not decide which game play he is going to chose. To win, the play made in the sporting event must match the play randomly assigned to or randomly selected by the player.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,548 patent discloses an electronic game in which each player is provided with a selection panel having switches. The selection panel of each player is electronically connected to a control apparatus. The player watching a sporting event selects a switch which corresponds to his prediction of the play which will occur next in the sporting event. The player then makes a selection of xe2x80x9cgain,xe2x80x9dxe2x80x9closs,xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9czeroxe2x80x9d from a second set of switches. Predictions are made an prior to the time the play is run. Once predictions are made, a controller with the control unit locks in the predictions on the selector panels so that they cannot be changed. After the play is over, the controller punches in the actual executed play on the control panel as well as the outcome thereof, which information is electrically replayed to the selector panels. The scoring means on each panel is then adjusted accordingly.
There is a need for a card game that can be played in conjunction with perceiving a sporting event. Although the Pat. Nos. discussed above disclose various games related to sporting events, it is desirable to a have a card game wherein the card game players select and play a card from the cards each has been dealt which each player believes has the best chance of corresponding with the results of the next play in the sporting event being perceived.
The present invention relates to a means and method for playing a card game while perceiving a sporting event, such as a baseball game. The sporting event may be perceived either visually, such as by attending the game or watching it on television, or audibly, such as by radio. According to the card game of the present invention, each card of the game depicts an outcome of one play or at bat. In the game of baseball, an at bat occurs each time a player from the offensive team has an opportunity to hit the baseball. A single at bat begins when the pitcher on the defensive team throws the first pitch and continues until the hitter from the offensive team either reaches base or makes an out.
According to the present invention, each card game player is dealt a certain number of cards at the beginning oft he card game and before a play in the sporting event being perceived. Before the play begins, each card game player selects and plays a card from the cards he has been dealt with the description of a result which the card game player thinks has the best chance of duplicating the result of the play in the sporting event being perceived. If the outcome of the play corresponds with the description of the result depicted on the card, the player is awarded points. After all card game players have played their cards, the play is completed, and points, if any, have been assessed, each card game player is dealt a new card before the next play.